Born: July 30, 1974
Age: 48
Birthplace: Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.

Hilary Ann Swank (born July 30, 1974)[6] is an American actress and producer. She has received two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two Critics Choice Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Swank made her film debut in a minor role in the movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer, before making her breakout role in the fourth installment of The Karate Kid franchise, The Next Karate Kid in 1994. On television, she was part of the main cast in the eighth season of the drama series Beverly Hills 90210 as single mother Carly Reynolds from 1997 to 1998. Swank garnered critical acclaim for her portrayal of Brandon Teena in the 1999 biographical film Boys Don't Cry, which earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama. She starred in Clint Eastwood's 2004 sports drama film Million Dollar Baby as struggling-waitress-turned-boxer Maggie Fitzgerald, which won her a second Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress.
She has also starred in films such as The Gift (2000), Insomnia (2002), The Core (2003), Iron Jawed Angels (2004), Red Dust (2004), The Reaping (2007), P.S. I Love You (2007), Freedom Writers (2007), The Homesman (2014), You're Not You (2014) and Logan Lucky (2017). In 2018, she portrayed Abigail Harris Getty in the FX series Trust, opposite Donald Sutherland as J. Paul Getty.
Swank was born in Lincoln, Nebraska.[7][6] Her mother, Judy Kay (née Clough),[8] was a secretary and dancer, and her father, Stephen Michael Swank, was a Chief Master Sergeant in the Oregon Air National Guard and later a traveling salesman.[9] She has a brother Daniel, who is eight years her senior.[10] Many of Swank's family members are from Ringgold County, Iowa.[7] Her maternal grandmother, Frances Martha Clough (née Dominguez), was born in El Centro, California, of Mexican descent.[11] Swank's paternal grandmother was born in England; her ancestry also includes German, other English, Swiss-German, Scottish, Scots-Irish, Welsh, and Dutch.[12] The surname "Swank", originally "Schwenk", is of German origin.[13]After living in Spokane, Washington, Swank's family moved to a trailer park near Lake Samish in Bellingham, Washington, when Swank was six.[14] She attended Happy Valley Elementary School, Fairhaven Middle School, then Sehome High School in Bellingham until she was 16.[12][15] She also competed in the Junior Olympics and the Washington state championships in swimming, and she ranked fifth in the state in all-around gymnastics.[16] Swank made her first appearance on stage when she was nine years old, starring in The Jungle Book.[15]
When she was 15, her parents separated, and her mother, supportive of her daughter's desire to act, moved with her to Los Angeles, where they lived out of their car until Swank's mother saved enough money to rent an apartment.[14] Swank has called her mother the inspiration for her acting career and her life.[17] In California, Swank enrolled in South Pasadena High School, later dropping out.[18] She described her time at South Pasadena High School, "I felt like such an outsider. I didn't feel like I fit in. I didn't belong in any way. I didn't even feel like the teachers wanted me there. I just felt like I wasn't seen or understood."[14] She explained that she became an actor because she felt like an outsider, "As a kid I felt that I belonged only when I read a book or saw a movie, and could get involved with a character. It was natural that I became an actor because I longed so much to be those other people, or at least to play them."[19]
Swank made her film debut in the 1992 comedy horror Buffy the Vampire Slayer, playing a small role, after which she acted in the direct-to-video drama Quiet Days in Hollywood, where she co-starred with Chad Lowe, who would become her husband for a time.[10] Her first leading film role was in the fourth installment of the Karate Kid series, The Next Karate Kid (1994), which utilized her gymnastics background and paired her with Pat Morita. In 1994, she also starred in the drama Cries Unheard: The Donna Yaklich Story as the abused step-daughter who was protected by Donna (Jaclyn Smith). In 1995, she appeared with British actor Bruce Payne in Kounterfeit. In 1996 she starred in a TV movie, family drama Terror in the Family, as a troubled teenager. In September 1997, Swank played single mother Carly Reynolds in Beverly Hills, 90210 and was initially promised it would be a two-year role, but saw her character written out after 16 episodes in January 1998.[12] Swank later stated that she was devastated at being cut from the show, thinking, "If I'm not good enough for 90210, I'm not good enough for anything."[20]
The firing from Beverly Hills, 90210 freed her to audition for the role of Brandon Teena in Boys Don't Cry. To prepare for the role, Swank lived as a man for a month and reduced her body fat to seven percent. Many critics hailed her work as the best female performance of 1999 and her work ultimately won her the Golden Globe Award and Academy Award for Best Actress.[12] Swank had earned only $75 per day for her work on the film, culminating in a total of $3,000.[21] Her earnings were so low that she had not even earned enough to qualify for health insurance.[22]
Swank again won the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for playing a female boxer in Clint Eastwood's 2004 film Million Dollar Baby, a role for which she underwent extensive training in the ring and weight room gaining 19 pounds of muscle, aided by professional trainer Grant L. Roberts.[22] With her second Oscar, she had joined the ranks of Vivien Leigh, Sally Field and Luise Rainer as the only actresses to have been nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actress twice and won both times.[23] After winning her second Oscar, she said, "I don't know what I did in this life to deserve this. I'm just a girl from a trailer park who had a dream."[22]
In 2006, Swank signed a three-year contract with Guerlain to be the face of the women's fragrance Insolence.[24] She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the motion picture category on January 8, 2007, and was the 2,325th star presented.[25][26]
In 2007, Swank starred in Freedom Writers, about a real-life teacher, Erin Gruwell. Many reviews of her performance were positive, with one critic noting that she "brings credibility" to the role,[27] and another stating that her performance reaches a "singular lack of artifice, stripping herself back to the bare essentials".[28] Swank next starred in the horror film The Reaping (2007), as a debunker of religious phenomena. Swank convinced the producers to move the film's setting from New England to the Deep South, and the film was filmed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana when Hurricane Katrina struck.[29] The same year, she also appeared in the romantic drama P.S. I Love You with Gerard Butler.[29][30] Swank portrayed the pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart in the 2009 biopic Amelia, which she also co-executive produced through 2S Films, a production company she established with producer Molly Smith.[31][32]
In 2012, Swank's audiobook recording of Caroline Knapp's Pack of Two: The Intricate Bond Between People and Dogs was released at Audible.com.[33] In 2013, she starred in the television film Mary and Martha alongside Brenda Blethyn.[34] In 2014, Swank played the lead role of Kate Parker, a woman whose life is shattered when she develops the degenerative disease ALS, in You're Not You. The film co-starred Emmy Rossum and Josh Duhamel.
In 2017, she appeared in Steven Soderbergh's heist comedy Logan Lucky as Special Agent Sarah Grayson, alongside Channing Tatum and Daniel Craig,[35] and portrayed lawyer Colette Hughes in Bille August's drama film 55 Steps. Swank will star in and executive produce the Alzheimer's disease drama film What They Had, directed by Elizabeth Chomko.[36] She has been cast in two upcoming television projects; she will portray Gail Getty in the first season of FX's anthology series Trust,[37] and will star as Laura Murphy in Alejandro González Iñárritu's drama series The One Percent.[38]
While filming Quiet Days in Hollywood, Swank met actor Chad Lowe. They married on September 28, 1997.[39] They announced their intention to divorce on January 9, 2006,[40] which was finalized on November 1, 2007.[41] In 2007, Swank began dating her agent, John Campisi, but they ended their relationship in May 2012.[42]
On March 22, 2016, Swank announced her engagement to Ruben Torres, a financial advisor with UBS and former professional tennis player. The two had been dating since May 2015.[43][44] In June 2016, Swank's representative confirmed she and Torres had ended their engagement.[45][46]
On August 18, 2018, she married entrepreneur Philip Schneider after two years of dating.[47]
In October 2011, Swank attracted controversy for attending an event in Chechnya's capital Grozny on the 35th birthday of Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov on October 5.[48] After wishing him "Happy birthday, Mr. President", she reportedly claimed knowledge about Kadyrov saying, "I read. I do my research."[49] Following criticism from human rights groups, that reported having informed her about the human rights abuses in Chechnya prior to the event and asked her to reconsider her participation,[50][51] Swank said she was unaware that Kadyrov had been accused of human rights violations and that she "deeply regrets" taking part in the lavish concert. She donated her personal appearance fees "to various charitable organizations".[52]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1992 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Kimberly Hannah | film debut |
1994 | The Next Karate Kid | Julie Pierce | |
1996 | Sometimes They Come Back... Again | Michelle Porter | |
Kounterfeit | Coleen | ||
1997 | Quiet Days in Hollywood | Lolita | |
1998 | Heartwood | Sylvia Orsini | |
1999 | Boys Don't Cry | Brandon Teena | |
2000 | The Gift | Valerie Barksdale | |
The Audition | N/A | Short | |
2001 | The Affair of the Necklace | Jeanne St. Rémy de Valois | |
2002 | Insomnia | Detective Ellie Burr | |
The Space Between | N/A | Short | |
2003 | 11:14 | Buzzy | |
The Core | Major Rebecca Childs | ||
2004 | Red Dust | Sarah Barcant | |
Million Dollar Baby | Maggie Fitzgerald | ||
2006 | Black Dahlia | Madeleine Linscott | |
2007 | The Reaping | Katherine Winter | |
Freedom Writers | Erin Gruwell | ||
P. S. I Love You | Holly Kennedy | ||
2008 | Birds of America | Laura | |
2009 | Amelia | Amelia Earhart | |
2010 | Conviction | Betty Anne Waters | |
2011 | The Resident | Dr. Juliet Devereau | |
New Year's Eve | Claire Morgan | ||
2014 | The Homesman | Mary Bee Cuddy | |
You're Not You | Kate Parker | Also producer | |
2015 | Lauda: The Untold Story | Herself | Documentary |
2017 | Spark | The Queen (voice) | |
Logan Lucky | Special Agent Sarah Grayson | ||
55 Steps | Colette Hughes | ||
2018 | What They Had | Bridget Ertz | Also executive producer |
2018 | I Am Mother | in post-production |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1991 | Evening Shade | Aimee Thompson | television debut
2 episodes |
1991-92 | Growing Pains | Sasha Serotsky | 2 episodes |
1992-93 | Camp Wilder | Danielle | Main role, 19 episodes |
1994 | Cries Unheard: The Donna Yaklich Story | Patty Yaklich | Television film |
1996 | Terror in the Family | Deena Marten | Television film |
1997 | Dying to Belong | Lisa Connors | Television film |
The Sleepwalker Killing | Lauren Schall | Television film | |
Leaving L.A. | Tiffany Roebuck | Main role, 6 episodes | |
1997-98 | Beverly Hills, 90210 | Carly Reynolds | Main role, 16 episodes |
2004 | Iron Jawed Angels | Alice Paul | Television film |
2013 | Mary and Martha | Mary Morgan | Television film |
2018 | Trust | Gail Getty | Main role, 9 Episodes |
TBA | The One Percent | Laura Murphy | Upcoming series |
TBA | Cobra Kai | Julie Pierce | Cameo |
Year | Work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1993 | Camp Wilder | Young Artist award, Best Young Actress in a New Television Series | Nominated |
1999 | Boys Don't Cry | Award Circuit Community award, Best Lead Actress | Nominated |
Boston Society of Film Critics award, Best Lead A ctress | Won | ||
Chicago International Film Festival award, Best Lead Actress | Won | ||
Gijon International Film Festival award, Best Lead Actress | Won | ||
Los Angeles Film Critics Association award, Best Lead Actress | Won | ||
National Board of Review award, Breakthrough Performance - Female | Won | ||
New York Film Critics Circle award, Best Lead Actress | Won | ||
Stockholm Film Festival award, Best Lead Actress | Won | ||
Toronto Film Critics Association award, Best Lead Actress | Won | ||
Village Voice Film Poll award, Best Lead Actress | Won | ||
2000 | Academy award, Best Lead Actress | Won | |
Chicago Film Critics Association award, Best Lead Actress | Won | ||
Chlotrudis award, Best Lead Actress | Won | ||
Critics Choice award, Best Lead Actress | Won | ||
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association award, Best Lead Actress | Won | ||
Florida Film Critics Circle award, Best Lead Actress | Won | ||
Golden Globe award, Best Lead Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama | Won | ||
Independent Spirit award, Best Female Lead | Won | ||
Las Vegas Film Critics Society award, Most Promising Actress | Won | ||
Las Vegas Film Critics Society award, Best Lead Actress | Won | ||
Molodist International Film Festival award, best Full-Length Fiction Film | Won | ||
MTV Movie + TV award, Best Breakthrough Performance - Female | Nominated | ||
MTV Movie + TV award, Best Kiss | Nominated | ||
National Society of Film Critics award, Best Lead Actress | Nominated | ||
Online Film & Television Association award, Best Lead Actress | Won | ||
Online Film Critics Society award, Best Lead Actress | Nominated | ||
Santa Fe Critics Circle award, Best Lead Actress | Won | ||
Satellite award, Best Lead Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama | Won | ||
Screen Actors Guild award, Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Lead Role | Nominated | ||
ShoWest Convention award, Female Star of Tomorrow | Won | ||
Boys Don't Cry | Southeastern Film Critics Association award, Best Lead Actress | Won | |
Teen Choice award, Choice Breakout Performance - Female | Nominated | ||
2001 | British Academy Film award, Best Lead Actress | Nominated | |
Empire award, Best Actress | Nominated | ||
London Critics Circle Film award, Best Lead Actress | Nominated | ||
The Gift | Saturn award, Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | |
2003 | Insomnia | Empire award, Best Actress | Nominated |
2004 | Million Dollar Baby | Award Circuit Community award, Best Lead Actress | Nominated |
Award Circuit Community award, Best Cast Ensemble | Nominated | ||
Boston Society of Film Critics award, Best Lead Actress | Won | ||
Florida Film Critics Circle award, Best Lead Actress | Won | ||
Iron Jawed Angels | Gold Derby award, Best Lead Actress in a Television Movie/Miniseries | Nominated | |
Million Dollar Baby | Kansas City Film Critics Circle award, Best Lead Actress | Won | |
Iron Jawed Angels | Online Film & Television Association award, Best Lead Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Nominated | |
Million Dollar Baby | Phoenix Film Critics Society award, Best Lead Actress | Won | |
St. Louis Film Critics Association award, Best Lead Actress | Won | ||
Utah Film Critics Association award, Best Lead Actress | Won | ||
Washington DC Area Film Critics Association award, Best Lead Actress | Nominated | ||
2005 | Academy award, Best Lead Actress | Won | |
Central Ohio Film Critics Association award, Best Lead Actress | Won | ||
Critics Choice award, Best Lead Actress | Won | ||
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association award, Best Lead Actress | Won | ||
Gold Derby award, Best Lead Actress | Won | ||
Gold Derby award, Best Ensemble Cast | Nominated | ||
Golden Globe award, Best Lead Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama | Won | ||
Iron Jawed Angels | Golden Globe award, Best Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television | Nominated | |
Million Dollar Baby | International Online Cinema award, Best Lead Actress | Nominated | |
Italian Online Movie award, Best Lead Actress | Nominated | ||
MTV Movie + TV award, Best Female Performance | Nominated | ||
National Society of Film Critics award, Best Lead Actress | Won | ||
Online Film & Television Association award, Best Lead Actress | Won | ||
Online Film Critics Society award, Best Lead Actress | Nominated | ||
Satellite award, Best Lead Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama | Won | ||
Screen Actors Guild award, Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Lead Role | Won | ||
Screen Actors Guild award, Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Motion Picture | Nominated | ||
Iron Jawed Angels | Screen Actors Guild award, Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries | Nominated | |
Million Dollar Baby | Vancouver Film Critics Circle award, Best Lead Actress | Nominated | |
2006 | 11:14 | DVD Exclusive award, Best Lead Actress - in a DVD Premiere Movie | Nominated |
Million Dollar Baby | Empire award, Best Actress | Nominated | |
Jupiter award, Best International Actress | Won | ||
Sant Jordi award, Best Foreign Actress | Won | ||
SESC Film Festival award, Best Foreign Actress | Won | ||
The Black Dahlia | The Stinkers Bad Movie award, Worst On-Screen Couple (shared with Josh Harnett) | Nominated | |
TV Land award, Little Screen/Big Screen Star - Women | Won | ||
2007 | The Black Dahlia | Alliance of Women Film Journalists award, Actress Most In Need of a New Agent | Won |
Walk of Fame, Star on the Walk of Fame - Motion Picture 6925 Hollywood, Blvd. | Won | ||
2008 | P.S. I Love You /
Freedom Writers |
Golden Camera award, Best International Actress | Won |
P.S. I Love You | Irish Film and Television award, Best International Actress | Won | |
2009 | Birds of America | Alliance of Women Film Journalists award, Actress Most In Need of a New Agent | Won |
Amelia | Hollywood Film Festival award, Best Lead Actress | Won | |
Women's Image Network award, Outstanding Actress Feature Film | Nominated | ||
2010 | Million Dollar Baby | Gold Derby award, Best Lead Actress of the Decade | Nominated |
2010 | Gotham award, Tribute award | Won | |
2011 | The Resident | Fright Meter award, Best Lead Actress | Nominated |
Giffoni Film Festival award, Francois Truffat award | Won | ||
Conviction | Screen Actors Guild award, Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Lead Role | Nominated | |
2012 | Conviction /
New Year's Eve / The Resident |
Yoga award, Worst Foreign Actress | Won |
2014 | The Homesman | Boston Society of Film Critics Society award, Best Lead Actress | Nominated |
Phoenix Critics Circle award, Best Lead Actress | Nominated | ||
Phoenix Film Critics Society award, Best Lead Actress | Nominated | ||
San Diego Film Critics Society award, Best Lead Actress | Nominated | ||
Telluride Film Festival award, Silver Medallion award | Won | ||
The Homesman | Women Film Critics Circle award, Courage in Acting award | Nominated | |
Women Film Critics Circle award, Invisible Woman award | Nominated | ||
Women Film Critics Circle award, Best Ensemble Cast | Won | ||
2015 | Bambi award, Film - International | Won | |
2016 | You're Not You | Jupiter award, Best International Actress | Nominated |
Charities
Hilary Swank supports the following charitable causes: ALS (amyrotrophic lateral sclerosis), Women's Rights, Cancer.
[ Source: Wikipedia ]